Loom for weaving short-weft fabric.



APPLICATION FILED MAR. 15, 1909.

Patented Sept 27,1910.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

flaw/2 H. E. RATHBUN. LOOM FOR WEAVING SHORT WEFT FABRIC.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.-15, 1909.

Patented Sept 27, 1910;

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

H.B.R'ATHBUN. LOOM FOB WEAVING SHORT WEFT FABRIC;

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 15, 190B.

Patented Sept 27, 1910.

H. E. RATHBUN. LOOM POE WEAVING SHORT WEFT FABRIC.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 16, 1909- Pamlitea Sept. 27, 1910.

4 BHEETBBHEET 4.

lzfaz gal/lbw;

HENRY E. RATHBUN, OF WORCESTER, IvIASSACHUSETTS.

LOOM FOR WEAVING SHORT-WEE! FABRIC.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 27, 1910.

Application filed March 15, 1909. Serial No. 483,377.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY E. RATHBUN a citizen of the United States, residing at on-ester in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts. have invented a new and useful Loom for \Veaving Short-WVeft Fabric, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a loom for Weaving shortweft fabrics although some parts of it are capable of general use.

The principal objects of the invention are to greatly reduce or entirely eliminate the stoppages due to the failure of the weft feeding means to introduce a weft into the fabric. Under the present conditions these stoppages are frequent and the time required for the operator to put things right after a weft strand has been fed in from the wrong side is as much as would be consumed in making a large number of picks if the loom had not stopped. This greatly reduces production and increases the cost of fabrics of this kind. Heretofore so far as I am aware the attempts which have been made to overcome this difficulty have always been in the line of providing more eflicient means for stopping the loom when a pick is missed, or a more efficient picker, which is almost impossible on account of the variation in the size of straw.

This invention is designed to overcome the difiiculty in an entirely different way, namely by providing automatic means whereby when a pick is missed from one side of the loom the next pick from the other side will also be missed without stopping the loom and also if this miss-pick is caused by a short weft the latter will automatically be drawn out of the way so that on the next pick it will not prevent the next weft from being fed forward, so that the loom can continue to operate provided the next pick from the side which first missed is brought in in the regular way. In this way no time is lost and the only disadvantage is the mere loss of two picks in the cloth which of course is negligible, because the next pick from the side first missed comes in in the proper place and the weavin goes on as usual.

Other objects for accomplishing this result constructed that it works every time no matter which side of the loom the misspick is on, and no matter how many times or in what order the missing of the picks is repeated. and to provide means whereby the take-up is caused to cease operating as long as the loom continues to miss picks.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a plan of a portion of a short weft loom showing a preferred embodiment of the invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 a side view of the same showing the position of the parts when the weft is inserted and everything is going on in the normal way; Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the position of the parts when a pick is missed; Fig. 4 is an end view of a portion of the parts under the same conditions when the lay has beaten clear back and showing the side of the loom from which the pick is missed; Fig. 5 is a similar View of the other side of the 100111 at the same time; Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 are views of a somewhat diagrammatic form showing several positions of the parts during the operation after a pick is missed; Fig. 10 is a plan of part of the take-up motion; Fig. 11 is side view of the same; Fig. 12 is a diagrammatic view show ing how a weft is fed into the loom and why a short weft is not discharged from the weft hopper into the shed; and Figs. 13, 1st and 15 are end views of the same showing how a short weft which has been missed is taken out of the hopper automatically so as to prevent the stoppage of the loom and allow the next weft to be fed in in the usual manner.

This invention is shown as applied to a type of short weft fabric loom having a lathe 18 and a breast-beam 19 and in which there are feeding rolls or brushes 20 and 21 on the lathe. the roll 20 being mounted to turn on a stationary axis and the roll 21 oscillating back and forth toward the roll 20 so that the roll will come into contact to feed a weft in as shown at the left of Fig. l, alternately from the two sides. The roll 21 is operated by a feed roll carrier shown as a lever 22, rod 23. and cam 24L and rotated by spiral gears 25 or in any other desired manner, as is well understood at the present time in this art.

In accordance with this invention the feed roll carrier is preferably provided with a projection 26 and on each end of the lat 11% is pivoted a lever 27 having a lug 28 adapted to engage this projection and hold the roll 21 out of contact with the roll 20 as shown in Fig. Adjustable means in the form of a screw 29 is shown for limiting the position of the lever and a spring 30 for operating it in one direction.

In order to provide a miss pick controlling device operated by the shed the following mechanism is shown for controlling the operation of the lever 27. Journaled in brackets 31 on the lathe is a shaft 32 which extends across the lathe and has on each end thereof. an arm 33 extending from the shaft, said arms carrying a bar 34 between them which is adapted to extend up into contact with the warp threads of the shed. At one end the shaft also has an arm extending in the opposite direction and provided with a spring 36 for normally holding the bar 34 up against the shed as shown in Fig. 2. It is the operation of this bar by the warp threads which controls the missing of the picks as will be explained hereinafter.

At the opposite ends of the shaft 32 are arms 40 pivotally mounted on which are levers 41, the arms being provided with springs42 to hold said levers normally in the position shown in Fig. 3 and to turn them to that position when released from other holding means. Each of these levers is provided with a projection 44 having a spring 43 thereon normally engaging the top of the forward end of the lever 27 as is shown in Fig. 2. It will be seen therefore that when a weft thread is introduced into the warp as shown in Fig. 2, the spring 36 is permitted to hold the bar 34 up under the warp and then the shaft 32 is thrown to such position that the levers 41 project out substantially parallel with the levers 27 and the springs 43 hold the forward ends of these levers 27 down so that the projections 28 thereof cannot engage the lugs 26 on the rollers 21. The parts are then in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and as long as a weft is introduced alternately from each side in regular order the parts will always return to this position so that there will be no hindrance to the proper opera tion of the loom. Vhen a pick is missed, however, the warp threads will assume the position in which they are shown in Fig. 3. This bears the bar 34 down in opposition to the force of the spring 36 and brings the arm 40 backward This releases the levers 27 from the force of the springs 43 which are stronger than the springs 30, and allows the springs 30 to act. As the parts are shown the force of gravity would act in this case to bring the rear ends of the levers 27 down into such position that they can engage the rear ends of the lugs 26.

lVith this particular description of the operation of these parts the rest of the mechanism will be readily understood.

Mounted near the ends of the breast-beam are two brackets 45, each of which carries a stationary spear 46. Under this is located a fixed pin 47 parallel with the spear and on this pin is mounted a sleeve 48 having a notch 49 in the bottom thereof and provided with a spring 50. This notch is for receiving a pin 51 in the forward end of the lever 27. One of the spears is provided with a pin and the bracket is provided with a projection 53 supporting a bell-crank 54, one end of which is adapted to engage the pin 52, and. to the other end of which is secured at flexible connection 55 which is connected with a pivoted pawl 56 on the takeup motion 57, this pawl being adapted to engage a toothed wheel 58 and to move uown by gravity ordinarily so as to feed the wheel one or more notches for every pick of the loom. It will be understood that the lever 59 on which the pawl 56 is mounted is operated by a link 60 in any usual way, and that the wheel 58 operates the take-up motion through the shaft 61 in any ordinary manner.

hen the parts have operated in the manner shown in Figs. 2 and 4 as above described, the feed rolls, while on the backward movement, come together so as to feed the weft before the harnesses commence to change and the parts are left in the position shown in Fig. 2, bringing the levers 27 on both sides down so that the pins thereon will pass under the sleeves 48 on both sides when the lay beats up. This movement is repeated every time a strand of weft is taken into the shed or warp from either side.

Vhenever a strand of weft is not deposited between the feed rolls so that it is not fed into the shed, the operation is as follows :The lay comes forward without the weft between the rolls on one side and on the next backward movement of the lay these feed rolls are brought together as usual, but no weft being deposited between them none is carried into the shed, and when the harnesses change, the warp, as has been stated before, assumes the position shown in Fig. 3, carrying down the bar 34 and raising the lever 41 from the lever 27 so as to allow the end 28 to drop on the lug of the feed roll carrier on that side which is in its extreme backward position and the end of the other lever 27 to drop over the lug 26 of the feed roll on that side which is in its extreme forward position. This brings one lever 27 into the position shown in Fig. 4 and the other into the position shown in Fig. 5. On the forward movement of the lathe the pin 51 on the lever 27 on the side that missed passes under the sleeve 48 while the pin on the other lever passes between the sleeve on that side and the spear 46. On the next backward movement of the lathe the pin 51 on the lever which passed under its sleeve engages the notch 49 of the sleeve as shown in Fig. 8, drawing the sleeve backward with the movement of the lathe. These positions will be maintained, preventing the side of the loom which did not miss originally from feeding a weft strand into the loom until a strand has passed into the shed of the warp from the side which has originally missed, so as to again bring the parts into the position shown in Fig. 2, thereby lowering the lever 41 and setting the levers 27 on both sides. The downward movement of the lever 27 caused by the lever .41 on the side which originally missed releases the pin 51 from engagement in the notch 49 thereby letting the sleeve return to its original. position by the action of its spring 50. Then when the lathe comes forward again, the pins 51 will both pass under the sleeve, but however, if the strand of the weft is not taken between the feed rolls on either side in their proper turn, the warp will again assume the position shown in Fig. 3, depressing the levers 27 and allowing the projections 28 to drop either on or over their respective lugs 26 on the feed roll carriers according to the backward or forward position of such lugs.

The lever on the side from which a pick has missed always drops on the top of its lug and passes under the sleeve 48 so as to remain in that position, carrying the sleeve forward and backward by the movement of the lay until a strand of weft has been deposited between the sheds of the warn on that particular side. The lug 28 on the opposite side of the loom will drop over the feed roll lug 26 on that side so the pin 51 on that side will ass between the parts 4-6 and 48, causing it to be held over its feed roll lug so that when the feed rolls on this side move toward each other the movement is arrested by the lug coming in contact with the projection 28, thereby holding the feed rolls far enough apart to prevent their feeding a weft strand until one has come in from the opposite side. Of course when that happens the arm 33 will again operate the levers 41 and 27 so as to raise the projections 28 out of engagement with the lugs 26 on both sides. This permits the pins 51 to pass under their sleeves which is always the correct position when a strand of the weft has passed into the shed. It will be seen, therefore, that the projections 28 always drop on the lug 26 on the particular side from which a strand of the weft has been missed, causing the pin 51 to be locked with the sleeve 48 and holding the parts in that position until the strand of weft has been fed in from that side, while the opposite lug 28 drops over its particular feed roll lug 26 and thereby holds the feed rolls on that side, so that they will not feed in a strand until a strand has been fed in from the other side, which, of course, can be done because the projection 28 on the other side does not prevent it. In case of a plurality of miss picks occurring in succession the parts continue to hold the above described positions until a strand is fed in from the side which originally missed, so that always an even number of picks will be missed.

It will be readily seen that every time either one of the pins 51 passes between the spear 46 and sleeves 18 the projection 4-4: on one side will. pass above the spear and engage lever 54. This moves the parts to the dotted line position in Fig. 3, and lifts the pawl 56 so that the take-up motion will be inoperative during the time when the 100111 is missing picks. This part of the device, therefore, is operated from the shed the same as is the miss-pick controlling mechanism described above.

It will be understood, of course, that in this class of looms every time a short weft is brought down into operative position a pick is necessarily missed, because it does not come into contact with the feed rolls. Now if the above described mechanism operated by itself without any further control of the machine the short weft causing the trouble would remain in the hopper and again be brought into position so that the operator would still have to pull out the short weft before the machine could operate properly. In order to provide automatic means for taking out the short weft, the following mechanism is provided preferably in conjunction with that described above, reference being had to Figs. 12, 13, 14 and 15. In this case the lathe is shown as provided, as usual, with a hopper 69 for holding the weft strand and with operating means therefor. It will be understood, of course, that after a strand. reaches the bottom of the hopper it is normally fed into the shed while the lathe beats back. Now if a short weft is in position as indicated in Fig. 12, so that it does not engage the feed rolls, the pick will be missed and the mechanism above described will operate, and while it is operating the lathe will beat forward with the weft strand in position in the hopper. As it comes forward the weft strand passes over a stationary jaw 70 which is mounted on a fixed rod 71 on the frame. At the same time a movable jaw 7 2 is raised by a cam 7 1 so as to leave a space between the two jaws into which the end of the short weft strand enters. As the lathe continues to move forward and the cam turns, the jaw 72 is brought down preferably by a spring 73 so as to grip the short strand, and by the continued motion of the lathe this strand is pulled out so that the operator can take hold of it and remove it from the loom without taking any particular pains to select the proper strand. In this way by the cooperation of the short weft removing arrangement the loom does not have to be stopped and thus a very large percentage of time is saved and a great increase in production secured as has been demonstrated in practice.

lVhile I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, 1 am aware that many modifications can be made therein by any person skilled in the art and that some parts of the invention can be applied to other types of looms without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore I do not wish to be limited to all the features of construction shown and described, but

hat I do claim is 1. In loom for weaving short weft fabrics, the combination with means for forming a shed and means for inserting the weft, of means whereby when a pick is missed from one side, the weft introducing means will be prevented from inserting a weft strand from the other side so that the next pick on the other side will be missed also.

2. In a loom for weaving short weft fabrics, the combination with means for inserting weft strands in the shed alternately from the opposite sides, of means whereby when a pick is missed on either side, the weft introducing means will be prevented from inserting a weft strand from the other side so that the next weft strand will be introduced from the same side.

3. In a loom for weaving short weft fabrics, the combination with means for forming a shed, of means operated by the shed for causing the loom to miss the next succeeding pick, whenever a pick is missed on either side.

a. In a loom, the combination of a lathe, means for forming a shed, means for intro ducing weft strands alternately from oppo site sides, a shaft extending across the loom, a bar connected with said shaft and adapted to engage the under side of the warp threads, and means connected with said shaft and controlled by the position in which the bar is placed by the warp threads for preventing the introducing means from operating on one side immediately after a pick has been missed on the other.

5. In a loom, the combination of a lathe, an oscillatory shaft extending therealong, a bar fixed to the shaft and adapted to engage the shed and to be moved thereby to oscillate the shaft, means for inserting weft strands alternately from opposite sides of the loom, means on each end of the shaft acting when the weft-introducing means fails to operate to introduce a weft on one side, to render the weft-introducing means on the other side in operative, whereby two weft strands are pre vented from being introduced into the shed in succession from the same side, and means on each end of the shaft whereby when a pick is missed on one side the next pick on the other side will also be missed so as to prevent two weft strands from being introduced into the shed in succession from the same side.

6. In a loom, the combination of a lathe, an oscillatory shaft extending therealong, a bar fixed to the shaft and adapted to engage the under side of the shed and to be raised and lowered thereby to oscillate the shaft, means for inserting weft strands alternately from opposite sides of the loom, means on each end of the shaft acting when the weftintroducing means fails to operate to introduce a weft 011 one side, to render the weftintroducing means on the other side inoperative, whereby two weft strands are prevented from being introduced into the shed in succession from the same side, and means on each end of the shaft whereby when a pick is missed on one side the next pick on the other side will also be missed, said means compris ing a lever operated bysaid shaft, and means connected with said lever for preventing the feeding of a weft strand in certain positions thereof.

7. In a loom, the combination of a lathe, an oscillatory shaft extending along the same, a bar connected with said shaft, resilient means connected with the shaft for normally holding the shaft in such position as to keep the bar in contact with the shed, an arm near each end of the shaft, a lever on each of said arms, a second lever near each end of the lathe pivoted independently of said shaft and adapted to be engaged by the first lever and held yieldingly in a certain position thereby, a bodily movable feed roll on each end of the lathe for feeding wefts into the shed, and means connected with the last named lever for moving the said feed roll out of operative position.

8. In a loom, the combination of a lathe, a bar extending along the lathe under the shed, resilient means for normally keeping the bar in engagement with the underside of the shed, a lever operated by said bar, a second lever pivotally mounted on the lathe and adapted to be operated by the first named lever in accordance with the position of said bar, said second lever having a projection thereon, and a bodily movable feed roll having a lug thereon in position to be engaged by said projection when the second lever is in a certain position, whereby said feed roll will be held back out of operating position.

9. In a loom, the combination of two sets of feed rolls, one on each side adapted to introduce wefts into the shed, and means whereby when either set of feed rolls fails to introduce a weft into the shed the other set of feed rolls will be rendered inoperative until the first named feed rolls introduce a weft into the shed.

10. In a loom, the combination of a weft feeding device on each side adapted to operate alternately, and means operated by the shed whereby when one of the feeding devices fails to operate the other feeding device will be rendered inoperative until the first named feeding device operates to insert a weft in the shed. 11. In a loom, the combination of a feeding device on one side of the loom for weft strands, means operated by the shed for rendering said feeding device inoperative, and means on the other side of the loom for controlling said second means to render it operative again after the loom has missed an even number of picks.

12. In a loom, the combination of a feeding device for weft strands on one side of the loom, means operated by the shed for rendering said feeding means inoperative, and means on the other side of the loom for restoring said means to operative condition.

13. In a loom, the combination of the lathe, with a lever pivotally mounted thereon, means for inserting wefts alternately from either side, means operated by the shed for moving said lever to a certain position when a pick is missed, and means controlled by said lever for rendering inoperative the weft introducing means on the side opposite that on which the pick was missed after the lever has moved to said position.

14. In a loom, the combination of the lathe, and breast-beam, with a lever pivotally mounted thereon, means for inserting wefts alternately from either side, means for moving said lever to a certain position when a pick is missed, and means controlled by said lever for rendering inoperative the weft introducing means on the side opposite that on which the pick was missed after it has moved to said position, said means comprising a rod mounted on the breast-beam, a sleeve slidable on said rod. and means on the lever for engaging said sleeve when in such position as to prevent the lever from passing over the rod until the lever is moved out of that position.

15. In a loom, the combination of a bodily movable feed roll having a lug movable therewith, a lever pivotally mounted on the lathe and having a projection for engaging said lug for holding the roll in an inoperative position, and means operated by the shed for moving said lever to a position to engage and hold said lug when a pick from the other side of the loom is missed.

16. In a loom, the combination of a bodily movable feed roll having a lug movable therewith, a lever having a projection for engaging said lug for holding the roll in an inoperative position, means operated by the shed for moving said lever to a position to engage and hold said lug when a pick from the other side of the loom is missed, and means for then turning the lever to disengage it from the lug so as to permit the feed roll to operate.

17. In a loom, the combination of a bodily movable feed roll having a lug movable therewith, a lever engaging said lug for holding the roll in an inoperative position, means for moving said lever to a position to engage and hold said lug when a pick from the other side of the 100-111 is missed, means for then turning the lever to disengage it from the lug so as to permit the feed roll to operate, an intermittently acting take-up device, and means whereby when said lever is in engagement with said lug the take-up device will be caused to miss two motions.

18. In a loom, the combination of the lathe, with a lever, means for inserting wefts alternately from either side, means for moving said lever to a certain position when a pick is missed, means controlled by said lever rendering inoperative the weft introducing means on the side opposite that on which the pick was missed after it has moved to said position, an intermittently acting take-up device, and means controlled by said lever for preventing the operation of the take-up device while the lever is in said position.

19. In a loom, the combination of the lathe and breast beam, with a lever pivotally mounted thereon, means for inserting wefts alternately from either side, means operated by the shed for moving said lever to a certain position when a pick is missed. means coi'itrolled by said lever rendering inoperalive the weft introducing means on the side opposite that on which the pick was missed after it has moved to said posit-ion, said means comprising a rod mounted on the breast-beam, a sleeve slidable on said rod, means on the lever for engaging said sleeve when in such position as to prevent the lever from passing over the rod until the lever is moved out of that position, an intermittently acting take-up device, and means controlled by said lever for preventing the operation of the take-up device while the lever is in said position.

20. In a loom, the combination with the lathe and breast-beam, of means for inserting wefts alternately from either side, a spear fixed in the breast-beam, a rod parallel with the spear and located under it, a sleeve slidable on said rod and having a notch therein, a lever pivotally mounted on the lathe and movable under said rod when a weft strand is introduced into the shed in the regular manner, means whereby said lever is moved so as to engage in said notch, when a pick is missed, means controlled by said lever for rendering inoperative the means for making the next pick from the other side of the loom while said lever is in said notch, a take-up motion, and means controlled by the shed for preventing the operation of the take-up motion while said lever is connected with said notch.

21. In a loom, the combination with the lathe and breast-beam, .of a lever supported by the breast-beam, a take-up motion, means connected with the lever for throwing the take-up motion out of operation when the lever is moved to a certain position, and a lever operated by the shed for engaging the said lever connected with the take-up motion when a pick is missed.

22. In a loom, the combination with means for introducing weft strands into the shed, means for rendering said weft-introducing means inoperative to introduce a second weft strand into the shed from the other side after a pick has been missed, a take-up motion, and means for rendering the take-up motion inoperative while said weft-introducing means is inoperative.

23. In a loom for weaving short weft fabrics, the combination of means operated by the shed for causing the loom to miss a pick, a take-up motion, and means controlled by the first named means for preventing the operation of the take-up motion when a pick is missed.

24. In a loom for weaving short weft fabrics, the combination of a take-up motion,

means for causing the take-up motion to be rendered inoperative whenever a pick is missed, and means whereby when the missing of the pick is caused by a short weft said short weft will be removed automatically as the lathe beats forward.

25. In a loom for weaving short weft fab rics, the combination with means for selecting weft strands and locating them in posi tion to be fed, and means for inserting weft strands in the shed alternately from the opposite sides, of means whereby if a miss-pick is caused by a short weft, said short weft will be removed automatically as the lathe beats.

26. In a loom for weaving short weft fabrics, the combination with means for select ing weft strands and locating them in position to be fed, a hopper for receiving the weft strands, and means for introducing said weft strands into the shed, of means for rendering the introducing means inoperative to introduce a strand from the side opposite that on which a pick has been missed, and means whereby short weft strands located in position for feeding in the hopper will be automatically removed from the hopper as the lathe beats.

27. In a loom for weaving short weft fabrics, the combination of means for selecting weft strands and locating them in position to be fed, a hopper for receiving the weft strands, and means whereby a short weft strand which is not fed into the shed when the lathe is in position for feeding it will be automatically removed from the hopper.

28. In a loom for weaving short weft fabrics, the combination of means for selecting weft strands and locating them in position to be fed, a hopper for receiving the weft strands, and means whereby a short weft strand, which is not fed into the shed when the lathe is in position for feeding it will be automatically removed from the hopper as it beats forward, said means comprising a pair of jaws located adjacent to the end of the lathe and in position to engage the bottom weft strand thereof, and means for opening and closing said jaws as the lathe passes them on its forward stroke.

29. In a loom for weaving short weft fabrics, the combination of a hopper for receiving and feeding the weft strands, means in the hopper for selecting a strand and locating it in position to be fed during the beat of the lathe, a fixed jaw mounted on the frame of the loom, a movable jaw mounted adjacent to the fixed jaw, and means connected with the loom for moving the movable jaw toward the stationary jaw to grip a short weft left in the hopper as thelathe beats.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY E. RATHBUN.

WVitnesses ALBERT E. FAY, C. FORREST IVEssoN. 

